Purpose

We are working on a cheap version which we hope to use to identify oil contamination in water and soil, as well as a range of other possible toxins.

Spectrometers can also be used to identify species of plants or crop diseases, assess plumes from smokestacks, and have many other applications.

What’s spectrometry?

What we perceive as a single color consists of multiple blended colors- just as green paint can be made from mixing yellow and blue paint. A spectrometer is a device that splits light into the various colors it is composed of, which we otherwise cannot distinguish with the naked eye. By viewing a substance through a spectrometer, one can distinguish the exact mixture of colors, which correspond to specific wavelengths of light. These can be compared to other spectra to help identify the sample.

Make a spectrometer

The Public Lab Spectrometer is a Do-it-Yourself device made from simple materials:

Uses for open source spectrometry

One group of toxins common to fossil fuel contamination are PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are generally carcinogenic. We’re trying to develop a step-by-step experimental procedure to prepare a soil or water sample, shine a full-spectrum light (like a halogen lamp) through it, and detect the missing wavelengths.

If you’re interested, please chip in to develop and document a consistent way to read samples here:

Online spectral analysis

Along with the physical tool itself, the PLOTS community has also developed a software suite and online database which allows anyone to upload their data and work with others to try to interpret it. These tools are early prototypes and we’re looking for help developing them.

Finally, a FAQ with some insights about actually using your spectrometer can be found here:Spectrometer FAQ